The present invention relates to the preparation of organomagnesium compounds which have a variety of uses.
Sometimes intermediates are required in the preparation of other compounds. For example, often in the synthesis of other materials it may be necessary to generatae an anionic site from an active hydrogen-containing material such as a hydroxyl group-containing material. This has generally been done by the addition of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide which strips the proton from the hydroxyl group generating an anionic site on the oxygen and forming water which can be removed by distillation. Often, however, the particular active hydrogen may not be sufficiently reactive with a base such as sodium or potassium hydroxide and it becomes difficult to generate such anionic sites. There is a need therefore for an improved way of preparing these types of intermediates.
Moreover, heretofore, a class of organomagnesium compounds, lactam-magnesium compounds, have been prepared either by a process which requires heating of the lactam monomer and the organomagnesium material at elevated temperatures for an extended period in order to melt the lactam monomer, or by dissolving the lactam monomer in a solvent. These procedures are not without attendant difficulties. For example, heating of the lactam at an elevated temperature increases the probability that the lactam monomer will polymerize. Moreover, even when the process is successfully carried out, the catalyst product generally requires further mechanical processing such as grinding prior to use. Although dissolving the lactam monomer in a solvent prior to reaction with the organomagnesium-containing material saves energy because the need for heating of the lactam monomer to melt it is alleviated, the catalyst product still requires mechanical processing prior to use.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved method of preparing organomagnesium compounds which is simple, efficient, and economical and results in a product which can be utilized without mechanical processing prior to use.